The Knowledge for Health (K4Health) project recently conducted a qualitative assessment of health information needs in Uttar Pradesh, India. The assessment was designed to inform stakeholders on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the health information system in the state and to identify priority issues and suggest potential solutions.

K4Health Needs Assessments focus on family planning and reproductive health and other health information needs, and are based on a continuous feedback principle that ensures audience demand for health information is routinely gauged and met. There are three components of the needs assessment: an environment scan, a global online survey, and a multi-country qualitative study conducted in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The World Bank announced yesterday that it is providing free and open access to its data, including the World Development Indicators database, at data.worldbank.org.

From the World Bank announcement:

Recognizing that transparency and accountability are essential to development, the World Bank Group now provides free, open, and easy access to its comprehensive set of data on living standards around the globe—some 2,000 indicators, including hundreds that go back 50 years. The data is available in Arabic, French, and Spanish in addition to English.

All Things Census is a new blog from the Pew Research Center dedicated to “census methodology, findings and resources.”

The 2010 Census kicks off next week in a remote village in Alaska, but most Americans will receive their Census forms in March.

APLIC will present a session on the 2010 Census at our annual conference in April.

Researchers say that US AIDS initiatives under the Bush administration, which prohibited the promotion of contraception, have contributed to population growth in Africa, according to a McClatchy News Service story.